Pumping for 10 month old while 6 weeks pregnant - benefits?

My daughter is almost 10 months old and had a very rough start; unlike my other children we ended up exclusively pumping for her from 4 months on (she had silent reflux) and we were adding formula to breastmilk to get enough calories in her. At this point she is growing awesome and fine with just fortified formula and solids, but I've still been pumping and fortifying that too and she drinks both. I am now 6 weeks pregnant and I am thinking of just stopping the pumping. Doc said it was okay to keep it up, but I guess, other than nutritionally (for her, which is an obvious one for me), what are the benefits? Any physical/hormonal benefits for me and the new baby/pregnancy? I am only pumping about 2 of her 5 bottles anyway, so I am more supplementing her at this point. It would be nice to stop the pump, honestly.

I am also on progesterone shots for the pregnancy because my progesterone is low (always is); I have a history of preterm labor on my last two pregnancies even going back to implantation; this one, oddly enough, is going VERY smoothly and I don't want to mess with cutting off the pumping if that is going to change something hormonally. I feel like a pin is going to drop if I stop since it's all going so well this pregnancy so far. LOL

Re: Pumping for 10 month old while 6 weeks pregnant - benefi

It sounds like you would like to stop pumping, but are afraid stopping pumping might somehow harm you or your unborn baby? Do I have that right?

Honestly I have no idea if that is a concern. Of course many people assume nursing or pumping when pregnant is potentially unsafe, when in fact this is almost never unsafe. But I have never heard of it being potentially unsafe for the pregnancy to stop nursing or pumping. I see what you are saying...no longer taking milk out of the breasts will (after some time) cause your body to stop lactating, and that would change what is happening hormonally. However I think that change would already be occurring as the hormones of pregnancy naturally act to suppress milk production to some degree.

Perhaps a midwife/lactation consultant or someone else with a strong understanding of hormonal issues having to do with pregnancy and lactation could help? I am just afraid this is an area too specialized for me to venture further.

If you do decide to stop pumping, maybe consider weaning yourself gradually off the pump, so that any changes that occur are not abrupt?